A comprehensive, integrated enterprise economy quality management concept is the last instance of quality management development evolutionary process, known as business excellence concept. This concept significantly relies on overall quality management; it, nonetheless, comprises business excellence models aiming at concretisation and operationalization of the concept itself. These models are the cornerstone for evaluation of an enterprise, on the basis of which one may identify business advantages and disadvantages.
This dissertation analyses elements and importance of business excellence model, as well as its presence in small and medium enterprises in Serbia.
The business excellence model comprises certain criteria on the basis of which management of an enterprise may conduct a self-evaluation. They are also basis for business excellence evaluation in the quality award process. Since there are a number of quality awards within the business excellence, criteria for these quality awards

are presented (Deming Prize, Malcolm Baldrige, Australian, European Quality Award and Serbian Quality Award).
The business excellence model may efficiently be combined with modern management techniques and concepts supporting enterprise performances enhancement. This thesis presents how the EFQM excellence model may be combined with the Balance Card and the Performance Prism models, as well as with Six Sigma and Lean concepts and InCaS report.
This work is a result of research conducted between May 2009 and March 2011 and study level of Business Excellence in the Serbian small and medium enterprises. This research was conducted using the European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM 2003) model.
The dissertation contributes to the elucidation of European Business Excellence Model to the practitioners and greater representation of this model in domestic enterprises.
The theoretical framework of the presented model points out its significance, for competitiveness improvement. The results of practical research represent a significant source of information and establish a basis for solving problems in the process of managing small and medium enterprises in Serbia.